History of Mathematics, Vol. I (Dover Books on Mathematics) [Paperback]

David E. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Books on Mathematics | Publication Date: June 1, 1958

Volume I of an unusually clear and readable two-volume history — from Egyptian papyri and medieval maps to modern graphs and diagrams. Non-technical chronological survey with thousands of biographical notes, critical evaluations, and contemporary opinions on over 1,100 mathematicians.

Product Details

• Paperback: 618 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 1, 1958)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486204294
• ISBN-13: 978-0486204291
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #428,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a History of Mathematics, June 5, 2000

By 

MURILO N. BUENO - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Mathematics, Vol. I (Dover Books on Mathematics) (Paperback)

This is the one of the best references in Mathematics History that I have found. Generaly, when we look for this kind of book we always found or a purely concept evolution text or a formal tratise. In this book I found these thinks together and, in addition, something that I never have seen before: archeological references! Lots of egyptian, roman, greek, phenician and other civilization vessels, papirus, tables, reproduced, described and explained. And not only classical mathematics! I found, for an exemple, references of pre-colombian mathematics on Central and South Americas. For me, it becomes the top reference in History of Mathematics.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lot more interesting than I imagined!, January 31, 2002

By 

[e-mail] (Luton, Beds, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Mathematics, Vol. I (Dover Books on Mathematics) (Paperback)

It takes talent to write such an interesting book about the history (sometimes considered a boring subject) of mathematics (to some, extremely boring) and the lives of great mathematicians....Bravo!
As an engineer/developer with a reasonable math background I really enjoyed reading about guys such as Laplace, Lagrange, Euler, Newton...I also found loads of useful facts for a maths website I am working on ...